Abstract
We report here on soft-template electropolymerizations of polypyrrole (Ppy)-based nanocomposites triggered by graphene platelets (GP) from shungite (SH) rocks. A properly designed procedure for an efficient extraction of graphene platelets from SH powders is established to produce remarkable graphene materials in a low oxidation state and with a high electrical conductivity (1490 S cm−1). By using positively and negatively charged templating surfactants the role played by the graphene units on the electropolymerization reactions is pointed out by SEM, EDX, TEM, SAED, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The morphological/structural characterizations highlight that GP from SH have a surface chemistry suitable for selective and mutual interactions with the growing Ppy chains. CV and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements evidence that GP improve the transport of both electrons and ions within the bulk material by means of a synergistic action with the polymer phase. This cooperative behavior induces an enhancement of the specific capacitance up to 250 F g−1 at 2 A g−1. The Ppy-GP materials produced following the settled protocols result to be appropriate for fabricating multifunctional charge transport and storage electroactive systems.
Highlights
The manufacturing of organic-inorganic hybrids and nanocomposites is a key cross-cutting technology for creating high-performance and high-functionality materials broadly applicable and pervasive in multiple industries and markets
The analysis shows that carbon, silicon and oxygen are the main components of the pristine rock, whereas S, Al, Na, Fe, Mg and K elements were detected only in traces
Recent structural analyses performed on the “old” shungite mineraloid evidenced that the building blocks forming the microstructure of its carbon phase can be agglomerates of graphene-like systems
Summary
Characterization of the carbon phase extracted from SH. The effects of purification treatments carried out on the SH powder were assessed by analyzing the elemental composition and the structure of all the produced samples (Fig. 1). The analysis of the first-order signals allows for determining the in-plane crystallite mean size of the polycrystalline graphene-based systems, that are the nanostructured materials typically obtained by mass production methodologies. Such an in-plane crystalline dimension is indicated by La parameter, that is related to the ratio between the integrated intensities of the disorder-induced D band and the G band (ID/IG). In the present study we found that the nanostructured graphitic systems coming from SH are characterized by variable amounts of 2-D and 3-D arrangements since all the samples produce a G′ band well-described by three
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